Archive June 4, 2025

What resilience, with serious talent, can accomplish, is exemplified by Fran Kirby’s international career.

Despite suffering numerous setbacks both on and off the pitch, Kirby managed to win 77 caps and a medal for the European championships while playing for England for 11 years.

An hour after England lost to Spain on Tuesday, and just days after goalkeeper Mary Earps did the same, the 31-year-old midfielder made the decision to leave international football.

However, Kirby’s announcement made more sense than Earps’ retirement stunned England supporters, who were initially skeptical about the timing and potential disruption.

Earps had fallen down the pecking order, but he was scheduled to take Hannah Hampton to the top of the group for Euro 2025, which will begin in four weeks, but manager Sarina Wiegman had informed Kirby that she was not going to play.

Kirby’s talent is unquestionable.

She will be remembered as one of the most exceptional women’s players and one of England’s greatest servants.

Kirby would undoubtedly have made a century of international appearances if it hadn’t been for a string of protracted illnesses and injuries.

Knee and ankle issues started in 2017, and two years later, she needed treatment for pericarditis, a fluid-filled sac that was potentially fatal.

In the run-up to Euro 2022, she took a break due to fatigue, and a second knee injury that required surgery made her unable to participate in the 2023 World Cup.

After that, minor issues started to occur more frequently. She was called up to the squad for the double-header against Belgium in April after missing the Nations League games in February, only to have to miss the opening game.

Wiegman made the decision to reject Kirby, who knew that this would be her last chance to compete in a major tournament, and her fitness concerns undoubtedly contributed.

They engaged in “honest conversations” last month, and Kirby made the decision when the reality became clear.

She is both a fantastic player and a fantastic person. She gave it her all, according to Wiegman.

She has always been ready to play and perform, give others a helping hand, and follow my instructions when she was in [camp].

Kirby is a generational talent who has contributed greatly to the national team’s success and the growth of women’s football in England.

She made her debut at the 2014 World Cup, earning the nickname “mini Messi” from former WSL 2 manager Mark Sampson, and was named the first female member of England’s senior squad in 2014.

Since then, Kirby has entertained with trickery, creativity, and unpredictability while playing both as an attacking midfielder and a wide forward.

She started all six games for England in 2022, bringing in new talent as she did with England’s success.

I enjoy working with her. Wiegman praised her for her touch, positioning, vision, game-understanding, and connections.

She has a fantastic career, which continues to be a part of the Women’s Super League. I’m very happy to have worked with her and am very proud of her.

Kirby’s ability to turn a game on its head and create a magical moment was what gave her the nickname “mini Messi.”

When comparing Kirby’s impact to Marta’s, who was six-time World Player of the Year, Phil Neville said after a friendly win over Brazil in 2018 that he would “take my number 10 over Brazil.”

And despite being marginalized by the England squad in recent years, she was always able to provide the required service.

She was given the nickname “I remember ten years ago,” and it was right because she “just lit up the stage in an England shirt,” defender Lucy Bronze said.

Kirby’s contributions to the Lionesses’ first major trophy are legendary, and she was a key member of the team that captured the trophy.

Her success is only enhanced further by her ability to handle personal tragedy and setbacks.

On Tuesday, Wiegman’s glowing pride over Kirby’s career was evident, and Bronze praised the former Chelsea midfielder’s remarkable achievements.

Ellen White, England’s record goalscorer, stated in a podcast interview with the Women’s Football Weekly that “she has had many ups and downs but she can hold her head up really high for what she has achieved.”

She has done a lot for England and football, and I just want to thank her. I can’t wait to remember.

Kirby left football when she was 14 years old after suffering from depression after her mother’s passing.

Just before she helped England reach the World Cup semi-final, she wrote a piece for the Players Tribune about her grief in 2019.

Later that year, the University of Winchester honored her with an honorary degree in recognition of her efforts to raise awareness of mental health.

She recovered for Euro 2022 after experiencing serious illness and doubts about her career.

She made a statement about the effects of social media abuse and body image issues in the female game last year.

She left Chelsea after a nine-year stint with the club to join Brighton, where she won the club’s player of the year award, even after her most recent knee injury.

Not exactly the best way to end a relationship.

With a 4-1 Nations League defeat against Italy in what was Wales’ final game before their first major finals appearance, Rhian Wilkinson’s historymakers were dealt a painful reminder of how difficult it can be at the highest level.

Wales will not dwell too long, thanks to a lively second half in Swansea, a stunning Jess Fishlock goal, and head coach Wilkinson’s self-awareness.

They do not have the time, after all, with less than a month until their opening game against the Netherlands on July 5 in Lucerne.

What awaits Wales before their European Championships bow, though?

Wales lost controversiously to Denmark last week, but Wilkinson and her fellow coaches’ final Nations League results will be analysed in little time. Before the shocker against the Italians in Swansea, Wilkinson and her fellow coaches had just finished their game.

In the upcoming days, a camp debrief will be held, with a focus on both the logistical and tactical aspects.

As Wales attempts to pick up lessons and advance quickly, conversations with other staff members and, in some cases, players will follow.

Some of the injuries sustained this week will need updates, too. Although it is believed that Rhiannon Roberts had a groin issue prior to the match in Odense, the reports indicate that the centre-back will be fit for Switzerland.

Before the division breaks for the summer, the 38-year-old Fishlock will have three games against the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side, giving her another opportunity to rekindle her inspirational journey before Switzerland.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) will return to its Vale of Glamorgan training facility for domestic players for two optional training camps while they are in the south of the country.

Players will be able to schedule training days with coaches starting the following week, with another the following week.

Some players are aware that they may need downtime rather than more work, and others who have featured less frequently are eager for extra sessions. Decision-making will be influenced by conversations between individuals and coaching staff.

After her recent injury, Kayleigh Barton, a Charlton Athletic forward, made the most of the opportunity. She was a part of the squad for the previous two games but did not play on the field.

Sophie Ingle may play a role in Sophie Ingle’s recovery from the knee ligament injury that has kept her out since September.

Players will travel home as Wilkinson prepares to name her final squad selection for Switzerland on June 19 after the camps have finished.

It will be revealed at Wales’ highest peak, Yr Wyddfa, at 1, 085 meters above sea level, which is appropriate for a Euros tournament.

Wales will travel to the Cascade resort in Portugal’s Algarve for a pre-tournament training camp, where the work will really take off before Switzerland.

The FAW is pleased with the facility’s previous visits to the men’s squad, and Wilkinson, who spent time there during her stellar playing days with Canada, has also been pleased with the facilities, including two Fifa-grade pitches.

After the sun’s work, the squad will transfer to Switzerland for the final touches to their warm-up session.

After receiving Wilkinson’s personal consent, Wales will remain in Weinfelden, which is located north of the nation.

FAW staff has already put in extra effort to build the venue, including a media center, a training facility, and two pitches.

The team has chosen to reserve a hotel nearby for their exclusive use.

From there, Wales will advance to the finals of their history.

On the fourth day of the tournament, the Netherlands will arrive at the 16-, 496-capacity Allmend Stadion Luzern on July 5.

World Cup qualifier: Wales v Liechtenstein

Cardiff City Stadium Date: Friday, June 6th Kickoff: 19:45 BST

“This might be similar to displaying a firework.”

An explosive player, a combustible personality. As Craig Bellamy was named his nation’s new head coach, one Football Association of Wales (FAW) official’s words captured the sentiment of many people.

But few could have anticipated the fire that he has since lit under Welsh football.

The 45-year-old is demonstrating to the modern-day football world that there is more calm than curled lip.

Less than a year on from his appointment, the national side look transformed on the pitch, while subtle and significant changes in the background have helped re-ignite hopes of returning to a major finals.

Liechtenstein will take on Wales on Friday for what could be a crucial match between the top two seeds of the group, before the bid for the 2026 World Cup is resumed.

The first changes started at home.

Bellamy informed officials that he would return to his hometown of Cardiff to begin his position and that he would be the first manager of the national team to live and work there.

But for Bellamy, there was no other way.

He felt like he had to be on the ground to spread his mission statement, which included how he wanted the side’s identity throughout all levels of the grassroots, as well as among office staff at the FAW base in the Vale of Glamorgan.

“He is very visible”, is how one official put it, with no-one in any doubt of the hours being put in and the way Bellamy leads by example.

The difference will not only be seen by those on the payroll, but also by those who work there.

Whereas some predecessors were criticised for not being seen outside of international windows, Bellamy is at games, club training grounds, and at numerous events throughout Wales reaching out to supporters – often helping local clubs raise money for facilities.

There were numerous Ymlaen (‘forward’ in Welsh) roadshows to discuss the vision of his and the FAW.

And then there are the hours at Dragon Park, Wales ‘ national development centre on the outskirts of Newport, either working with analysts – it was no joke when he said he had studied eight of his first opponents Turkey’s games before his official unveiling – or with age-grade sides.

When Bellamy first got the job, he already had a depth chart prepared for all of the available senior and intermediate players. He saw his job as knowing every player coming through, too.

Every little advantage that might make a difference for Wales as a football nation is a result of the former forward’s obsessive desire for details, for every detail.

On the pitch, it took less than a minute for Bellamy to demonstrate how he had transformed Wales.

It was already obvious that things were going to change in his opening game, last September’s Nations League game against Turkey, just moments before the start of the campaign.

Players were taking up new positions and changing them fluidly, building play from all areas of the field and, whenever possession was lost, they launched into a rapid – but organised, collective – press to win it back as quickly as possible.

Turkey, who had just finished third in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, was outplayed and had a chance to escape with a goalless draw.

Wales fans could scarcely recognise their team from the one which had been held by Gibraltar and thrashed by Slovakia that summer.

After initiating this transformation with less than a week of training, Bellamy boldly declared, “This is the worst we’re going to be.”

Players were instantly impressed by the level of detail in Bellamy’s team meetings and struck by how different – and meticulous – his tactical approach was to his predecessors.

Harry Wilson, Wales’ top scorer and arguably their best player under Bellamy, says, “He’s definitely changed the way I see football.” “I watch games differently now, the way he sees it”.

Bellamy gave these concepts to coaches last month who were preparing for their Uefa certifications with the FAW. The enormous, packed conference room at the Celtic Manor hotel was silent as World Cup and Champions League winners hung on his every word.

Bellamy is a football obsessive who excels when it comes to discussing current trends in the game of football or renowned coaches and teams.

He is a great admirer of Pep Guardiola – but quick to note he is “not a little Pep” – while he often refers to the valuable lessons he learnt while playing under Sir Bobby Robson.

Bellamy’s appointment of Piet Cremers, the former analyst for Manchester City, as an assistant coach for Wales illustrates the Guardiola effect.

Bellamy worked with Cremers as part of Vincent Kompany’s staff at Burnley, and he credits the ex-City captain who now manages Bayern Munich as one of the important figures in his coaching career, having also served as his assistant at Anderlecht.

Bellamy is fiercely independent, but he is aware of his own thoughts, which are informed by valuable learning from working with some of the game’s brightest thinkers.

It is why he rejects talk of being an underdog, or of Wales being a small football nation punching above its weight.

Given the regularity with which the team has qualified for major tournaments in recent years, Bellamy believes that this is a nation that merits its place at the top of the sport’s elite, which she also wants everyone else to believe.

The head coach and his players set out to win every game, no matter who they are playing, and that ambitious mindset has permeated through the FAW at all levels.

Bellamy quickly laid out some of his fundamental principles in those initial weeks.

One has hit the headlines in recent weeks with the revelation players are forbidden from swapping shirts.

It goes even further. Shirts and kit are not only kept but looked after under the demand that ‘ no badge touches the floor’.

Other off-the-pitch tenets are present.

Some were in place before his arrival, such as no mobile phones at the dinner table and players only ending meal time when the captain calls it, all stretching back to the Together Stronger days that have helped maintain a unity in the Wales camp relatively unique to international football.

But the purpose of rules is to make them. Bellamy – as with his on-field instructions – wants there to be a ‘ why’.

Take the shirt because it’s based on the idea that you’ve worked too hard to sell it, which serves as a subtly self-aware reminder to players.

And while it is hard to shake off the image of Bellamy the dictator based on his playing past, many of the introductions have been done with culture in mind, of thinking differently.

There is no public dressing-down for those who are late, though there is importance placed on timekeeping, whether for training or the numerous meetings.

Bellamy has spoken about being intrigued by elements of Japanese culture, telling those who are early to park their car further away to leave spaces close by for those running behind, to create a sense of consideration.

With his squad rotation, he consistently changes his team and gives players a chance. This has strengthened the sense of unity. Now, they all feel part of this group.

Bellamy also places a lot of emphasis on body language, which must, in his opinion, be “perfect.” Sulking and throwing your arms up in disgust during games will not be tolerated.

Those who don’t adhere to the rules won’t be berated, but they won’t be with this squad for long.

Bellamy wants his players and staff to enjoy themselves and he has fostered a strong feelgood factor within the squad, though he still has an aura. Even in silence, everyone is aware of Bellamy’s intrusion into the room.

And perhaps more than anything, there is an intensity to everything Wales do. Every meeting requires total concentration, training is intensive, and days are organized.

Bellamy the coach might surprise those who are more familiar with Bellamy the player.

The former forward had a stellar career and represented clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle United. Yet while there were many notable achievements and memorable goals, Bellamy’s spiky, confrontational nature meant he was blighted by controversies on and off the field.

He appeared to have carried some of those traits when he took over as Cardiff City’s under-18s coach after the club made a bullying allegations against him.

Bellamy denied and disputed the allegations and was not the subject of any disciplinary proceedings, but did issue a statement at the time saying he was “truly sorry” if he had offended anyone.

Opposition coaches criticized Bellamy’s aggressive behavior on the touchline, while FAW sources claimed that Bellamy’s fiery temper was one of the factors for his dismissal from the Wales job in 2018 .

When he played for Wales, Bellamy was so intense in his demands for high standards that some of his team-mates have admitted privately that they feared training with him.

Bellamy mellowed, though, and he has since learned from his errors.

He worked with sport psychiatrist Steve Peters towards the end of his playing career, which helped him process his grief following the death of his friend and former team-mate and manager Gary Speed.

Bellamy now speaks with the calmness of someone who has spent a lot of time analyzing themselves and their mental health.

He got away from the glare of British football to work with Kompany in Belgium, a period he looks back on fondly as giving him “peace”.

Bellamy refers to his time spent with Kompany as an “education,” and it is obvious that his former Manchester City team-mate’s composure has reacted negatively to it.

Bellamy now brings that calmness to his role as Wales head coach. He is mature and thoughtful.

Several people at the FAW have been struck by the change, speaking glowingly about his demeanour with youth players and staff, as well as his considered approach to coaching.

Bellamy seems content, despite his natural ambitions, and his work with the national team shows this.

Sitting together, laughing and chatting, at The Oval cricket ground in south London, Ellie Kildunne, Niamh Charles and Sarah Glenn could pass for any other 25-year-olds.

However, they are professional sportswomen who wear an England shirt all summer long.

Before Kildunne aims to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England in September, and Glenn aims to win the Cricket World Cup in India in the same month, footballer Charles hopes to assist the Lionesses in defending their Women’s Euros title in Switzerland in July.

The women’s game is growing so much. The other teams as a whole have all improved significantly. Who participates in the tournament is the issue.

We’re lucky we’ve had lots of good games before to prepare so I think we’re not looking to peak right now, but when it comes to the Euros we’re going to hopefully have used all those games to be in the best position from that first game and see what happens.

Cricketer Sarah Glenn: [We had a really tough winter] [We lost to Australia in the Women’s Ashes] 16-0. This summer’s India series will be playing at home, and those games can occasionally be quite chaotic.

We’re good rivals, we get good crowds in and obviously there will be that pressure there.

But for us, it’s just a great way to demonstrate how strong we are and how to win victories, and it will be like a breath of fresh air for the group with Lottie [head coach Charlotte Edwards] joining and Nat Sciver-Brunt as the new captain as well.

Summer is a really exciting one. I trust in the process and let the outcome take care of itself.

Ellie Kildunne, a rugby union player, says that being a successful team is what people want.

However, the last World Cup was supposed to be won by us, but we didn’t, making it a very difficult tournament.

Everyone shows up for major tournaments so it doesn’t matter what the world’s saying about how well they expect us to do, we know there’s a lot of work to be done.

We are extremely cool and special, but we are aware that there is still work to be done.

I sneaked home on the weekends and played football when I was playing rugby for Gloucester.

Then I got asked to play rugby for England and was given a contract. When I realized that it could be a career and that I could work as an athlete full-time.

We’re actually entering a phase where the game is definitely expanding. There’s more investment going into it and you can see that professionalism, and how that can really accelerate the growth of the sport.

I also played hockey and cricket, Glenn. I did some thinking about which path I wanted to take while balancing those two, which was quite difficult.

I played in the Kia Super League in 2017 and it was my first professional tournament. Because there were young children watching us, and we could chat with them afterwards, it was really inspiring.

Even though it was incredible when I signed for England, the domestic game didn’t have much structure. There was a huge amount of pressure on that England contract because otherwise I’d have to pick up a job alongside that.

Lucy Bronze discusses working two jobs and doing a lot of different things to advance professionally right away when we speak.

I see her in meetings, advocating for how much the women’s game is growing. She’s really at the forefront of that because she has to fight, and the investments have increased.

I don’t think 20-year-old Lucy would believe what the women’s game is now because it has grown.

She’s been massive in forcing the women’s game to keep up with how it’s growing, she’s pushing it, but also advocating for what we deserve and making sure that we’re growing and it’s sustainable.

Kildunne: As a team, there isn’t really a retirement age. Girls who have experienced two World Cups are known to have their first World Cup coming up, according to me. So we do a lot of collaboration of what to expect.

We make a lot of connections to the origins of women’s rugby in the classic Red Roses. Do it for the girls is one of our goals, and we are proud of our heritage.

It’s for the younger generation, the girls in our team and the girls that came before us. And I believe that gives our work a little more power.

You still have the inner drive to go above and beyond. The game is not just winning, it’s much bigger than that.

To inspire the next generation and take it to a place it has never been before while doing it for the girls who came before.

Glenn: When England women won the 2017 World Cup, I literally went in the crowd to cheer the girls on.

I thought it was amazing and I had a moment where I thought ‘ I really want to be a part of this ‘ – because at that point I was training hard, but I didn’t know if I could quite make it.

I was a part of the England junior academy, and I then began training with Heather [Knight] and Katherine [Sciver-Brunt], both of whom were involved in that World Cup.

They have seen how much the game has evolved and where it is now.

I feel like I’m constantly learning new games to improve and improve. You can always get better. I don’t believe I’ll ever reach my peak. Because I believe you can always improve, I’d like to never be at the top of my game.

Charles: The last day before I retire, I should hopefully be at my best. I would have been around the block, and I believe I’m learning new things about myself each day, such as how to improve my little skills.

So I keep telling myself that I’m only hoping to get better and better as I age. The best is yet to come, hopefully.